EA's premium ripoff: football tutorial videos on XBLM
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 4th 2006 at 2:45PM }
While $2.00 is relatively cheap, a tutorial is a feature of the game that should be included when you buy it, especially at $60. On top of that, tutorials (video and otherwise) are available all over the internet for the low, low price of nil. GameFaqs has an enormous .txt strategy guide, 1UP has an in-depth guide of Madden NFL 06, and both IGN and Madden Planet have video tutorials that you can use for free. Not only that, but with these guides you can play Madden on your Xbox 360 while reading/viewing the free guides, making their application that much more pertinent.
We decided to try one of the videos out, purchasing a Passing strategy guide for Madden NFL 07. The 246.34 MB downloaded provided little that would help our game. The video depicts a series of in-game passes with the occasional overhead view; once or twice arrows and yellow circles were used to highlight a player but it did not complement the announcer. To understand the voice-over commentary, it is assumed that you have a good grasp on formation and position terminology. If "using the safety to cover the back" goes over your head, this video is not for you -- then again, if you are well-versed in football slang, you will likely learn nothing new anyways.
The end of the video gives you four bullet points that sums up the entire tutorial:
- Use screens to slow down the blitz
- Key on MLB to make your man or zone reads
- Use your hot routes to attack defensive mismatches
- Use route combinations to impose your will on teh defense
[Thanks, Scott]
Read -- NCAA 07 Videos (Major Nelson)
Read -- Madden NFL 07 Videos (Major Nelson)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
pandlcg @ Oct 4th 2006 2:52PM
You spent money on this so none of your readers would end up trying it and wasting their own money.
Eric Von Shpeel @ Oct 4th 2006 2:57PM
they have been charging for strategy guides for god knows how long, how is this any different?
jayblezzy @ Oct 4th 2006 8:20PM
Screw paying for tutorials. $60 bucks aint good enough? Shit, XBL is nice to offer all the downloads ranging from free to little or nothing, but that's robbery for EA to make you pay for something that used to be free. What's next paying for different control figurations
jonm @ Oct 4th 2006 3:08PM
Just another example of EA ripping their Madden fans off. The xb360 version 06 was bare bones. having a pay per view early viewing. EA is really pissing me off.
Dominic @ Oct 4th 2006 3:10PM
Its a freakin shame that EA has the exclusive NFL license because I would have loved to have seen some competition the last two years. I can still dream of NFL 2K7 on the 360. EA Sucks!
Pierce @ Oct 4th 2006 3:10PM
some people dont care what they spend their money on ...like the ones that are gonna line up for the PS3 amirite.
eyrie0 @ Oct 4th 2006 7:36PM
You guys complain too much. If you don't think it's worth it, fine, say so in a review. EA is just trying to make money. It's our job as consumers to determine whether their products are worth the money. The product you described above does seem somewhat useful to me, but, as you say, not worth $2. If they dropped it down to 50 cents though, I would probably buy them all.
We speak with our wallets. There's no use complaining that people will charge for things. Good job on telling us what is included so that we can determine whether it's worth it, but I think the bitter commentary is missplaced.
JimmyHACK @ Oct 4th 2006 3:14PM
same goes for brady game and prima game guides, you can get them online for free so ya its a ripoff that someone tries to make a profit off of a guide that they spent their time creating....
you aren't supposed to profit off of your work..... this is communistrepublic Joystiqia :)
Mike @ Oct 4th 2006 3:16PM
Did you guys see that there's also "classic stadiums" available for the Rams and Seahawks for 300 points?! This is ridiculous, this stuff was FREE in all the other games, 300 points for ONE old stadium. I dont even want to know what they'll charge for each individual alternate and classic team jersey for each team. Makes me sick.
If only they could bring back NFL2K series, the world would be a better place. But then again, they might do it too.
Robotic House Plant @ Oct 4th 2006 3:26PM
Have to agree with the 2nd comment regarding strategy guides. I was looking at the official one for Lego Star Wars II the other day prior to the software release, and it didn't even dicuss achievements-- which I can only assume is because achievements are only in the 360 version. But still, the ones on the internet DO have that information.
AceMilo @ Oct 4th 2006 3:27PM
"If only they could bring back NFL2K series, the world would be a better place. But then again, they might do it too."
Sega sports was broken up after EA got the nfl license, so nfl2k is dead. Sega also lost the espn license to EA. The only hope of ever getting back nfl2k is if enough ppl protest EA by not buying madden and by letting EA know your reasons for not buying it. The chances of that happening are 0.
dish @ Oct 4th 2006 3:34PM
i was wounder why there wasnt tutorials like in the older madden games..
pandlcg @ Oct 4th 2006 3:31PM
AceMilo,
They did lose their agreement with ESPN to EA. But the important agreement was with the NFL which was given exclusively to EA this time instead of to multiple developers.
pandlcg @ Oct 4th 2006 3:32PM
nevermind, that's exactly what you said
_habit_ @ Oct 4th 2006 3:45PM
Yay for GameFAQ's FAQs!
Boo for them IP banning me after 27 some account bans (All I did was censor-bypass multiple times and post some necrophilia porn links...among other things)!
lunaclown @ Oct 4th 2006 3:44PM
It basically comes down to choice. It's your choice to pay for the download or not. If you feel that it's a value then by all means spend the money to download the content. If you feel that it's NOT worth it then stay clear of it. Not too difficult of a concept.
Scott @ Oct 4th 2006 3:45PM
You buy strategy guides to help with your way through a RPG, find every last mission in Oblivion for example, or maybe find the health pack in the last level of Halo.
You don't buy strategy guides to learn how to play the game, the game should come with guides/videos to help new players learn the game.
What if i bought Madden, and wanted to know how to play, should i really have to spend even more money on an over priced game just to learn how to play the game? Of course i shouldnt. I just wanna know how to work the game.
Pixelantes Anonymous @ Oct 4th 2006 4:02PM
Mr. Shpeel, I'd say the strategy guides are just as much of a ripoff than these tutorial videos especially if the strategy guide comes out exactly the same time as the game, and is produced as a licensed product.
It's just a poorly disguised attempt to shift game manual production costs to customers.
Greedy bastards. If that $60 doesn't cover your costs, either reduce the costs, or increase the price.
DECEMBER @ Oct 4th 2006 4:02PM
Well, you couldn't expect that the bad ideas for premium XBLM content would end at Horse Armor.
You've gotta expect that publishers are going to see what works and what doesn't (read: what they can get away with) during what is really the infancy of downloadable console content.
Just let's hope that EA doesn't do too well with these... especially the classic stadiums. Sheeesh.
Rich facial @ Oct 4th 2006 4:09PM
I'm officially boycotting EA. After having to register and hand over my email address to them to run the Battlefield demo (which I opted out of). Why do they need my email before I decide if I want to buy their game or not? I once got told I couldn't buy some speaker wire at radio shack because I wouldn't give them my phone number. I don't shop there any more, and EA is losing biz from me for the same reason.
But this takes the cake! I'd really like to know who is going to pay for this...
Wilky @ Oct 4th 2006 4:32PM
Thats EA for you. Heck, old tiger woods PGA 07 is at number 6 in the UK PC gaming charts. So the same people who have PGA 06 must be buying this. At full price. For a few different courses. A few graphic tweaks. No next gen graphics, because EA says PC owners dont/cant want/handle it. Nothing to do with charging the most amount of money for the least amount of work then EA?
Dont be suprised in a few years time, you have to download the freakin ball. Or, more likely, "special official balls", that you have to purchase because the bundled balls are unplayable. Balls the EA, balls to you.
Sloar @ Oct 4th 2006 4:58PM
Hey DECEMBER, the problem is that no matter what, the public is going to get screwed--can I write "screwed" on these forums?
Here's the problem from an analyst's point of view. Let's say you charge 300 points for a stadium. One of two things will happen:
1-people will buy it.
2-nobody will buy it.
Okay, so if people buy it, you (as an EA exec) are going to supply more stadiums for purchase. It only makes sense.
Now, if nobody buys it, you aren't going to see a market for it and so you aren't going to supply them, period. Why would you spend more money on production for something that people will obviously buy the game without?
Bottom line: we're all screwed.
JPRacer @ Oct 4th 2006 4:59PM
I wish EA burns in Hell! That's what they deserve. And people that buy their products should receive brain implants.
DECEMBER @ Oct 4th 2006 5:16PM
@ 21.
Sloar: Good post, good point.
The only context I would add to my earlier post is that EA is aware that XBLM and XBLA are already very big successes; i.e., are viable revenue streams.
So, you are exactly right- poor content that performs poorly could eventually lead to the collapse of the whole thing.
In that light, EA is shirking a bigger responsibility to both MS and the consumer to deliver high-quality content.
But, I think it is safe to say that XBLM isn't going anywhere, so we're going to have to wade through some more of this purposeful trial and error type junk for the next year or so.
DECEMBER @ Oct 4th 2006 5:21PM
Oops- lost a paragraph there.
the point was supposed to be that eventually, it will be quality, fair-priced content that will perform well on XBLM (I think I hope) so EA will presumably have to adapt.
Right now, I think there is a large chunk of people who wil almost literally pay for anything that pops up.
Killer Loki @ Oct 4th 2006 5:28PM
5. some people dont care what they spend their money on ...like the ones that are gonna line up for the PS3 amirite.
had to get a PS3 jab didn't ya.. well, you enjoy your *new* Gamecube come November.
daryl/me/azn1080p/ethan @ Oct 4th 2006 5:35PM
I heard in the PS3 version it only comes with the football and coaches. You have to buy each player and stadium separately.
LaughingTarget @ Oct 4th 2006 8:18PM
I don't see anything fine about this. Tutorials are supposed to be included with the game. Next thing you know, EA will start charging extra for the instruction manual and then start changing things up every year, like button layouts and how to use specific moves. Hardly "fine" by any accord. It is understood that the player is given the knowledge of how to play the game, not spend $2 on how to use each feature.
Ace @ Oct 4th 2006 11:19PM
I love Madden but this is abuse of its most loyal consumers, who have been buying Madden for years and expect a complete, quality product. Sure, they have a right to try to make money; that's what corporations are supposed to do. But something like this is a spit in the face of those of us that buy Madden every year. I love the game at play an online match almost every night, but shipping an incomplete game with features that we've come to expect only to find out that we need to pay more is a low blow.
EclipseCDN @ Oct 5th 2006 12:07AM
The great thing about XBL premium downloads is that consumers so far have been smart enough not to buy the retarded ones. (Remember the oblivion horse armor?) These are a rip-off. They don't really offer a premium value, and with Rare offering it's Kameo tutorials for free, you have to wonder how long it's going to take for EA to start offering these free services to fans like they should be, as opposed to gouging them. If anything I think it really shows EA's attitude towards it's fanbase. If Microsoft can offer free video tutorials for it's games, then it goes to show just how bottom-line driven EA is.
EclipseCDN @ Oct 5th 2006 12:30AM
And one other thing: how long can this behavior go on before a serious backlash from the community ensues? You can't be this abusive to your fans and expect to get away with it forever.
LaughingMan @ Oct 5th 2006 12:20AM
Check out this interview with the VP of EA's "Online Commerce" as he tries to worm his way out of questions.
http://sports.ign.com/articles/737/737237p1.html
I love the way he goes into corporate robot mode and gives long winded explanations that have nothing to do with what's being asked.
dez_mick @ Oct 5th 2006 9:23AM
I can see where all this leads too:
Madden 2009 $60 gets you the two superbowl teams and 1 stadium.
-Other 30 teams can be downloaded for $10 each
-Stadiums for each team $5 each
-Alternate uniforms $2 each
-Edit Player Mode $5
-Create-A-Player Mode $10
-Create-A-Team Mode $10
-Create-A-Team-Logo Pack $5
-Historic Teams $5 each
-Historic Team Roster $2
and and the last download....
-Team Playbooks $2 each
Get the picture....Digital Distribution is the future!!!
EACrookHater @ Oct 5th 2006 6:01PM
F*** EA. I'm glad I don't even have Madden this year. The only two Madden I have are 2003 and 2006. I decided to give Madden 06 a shot just because I wanted to see if they indeed put out a better game now that they have a monopoly. WRONG, WRONG! To be fair, 06 is slightly better than 03, with the exception of punt return blocking. But overall I was dissapointed with the flawed gameplay (AS USUAL).
Now these ahole's want to charge people for stupid s***. Charging people for alternate NCAA 07 unis on the XBOX 360 version when they should already be in the game. Charging people just to see a preview of their POS Madden 2007 game. Now they want to charge people for a strategy guide that I HIGHLY doubt will help. Yes there are prima guides out for this game, but you can still get "tips" FREE online! Doesn't EA have enough money already?
The football gaming industry was officially dead when EA got exclusive rights. They have no reason to try to improve their crappy gameplay because there is no competition. Instead they just add more stupid gimmicks to the game each year and charge people to get what already should be "in the game".
EA will continue to do this crap until consumers take a stand on a large scale and refuse to continue to be ripped off every year by these crooks. I've already taken a stand and refused to buy NCAA or Madden '07. Heck I don't even have an Xbox 360, so I'll continue to play NCAA and Madden 06 on the regular XBOX because I refuse to get ripped off by EA anymore.
But until ALOT more people take a stand EA will never change. They are all about gimmicks and trying to milk as much money out of their customers as they can without improving the actual game.
funkeboodha @ Oct 25th 2006 2:55PM
i wish there was an alternative. stick it to EA like how Google is sticking it to Microsoft. a little competition would get them to come to their senses. but its tough with EA having the NFL exclusive license. there's gotta be a legal way around this...
and i agree. the content. stadiums, jerseys i can see them charging for but tutorials...should be free. do they offer anything for free downloading?
rossocles @ Nov 15th 2006 8:07AM
John Madden is a retard that ruins any game that he comments on with his rambling gibberish, so why would anybody buy a game named after him in the first place, let alone buy the game over and over again just because it has a different year in the title? EA is laughing at us all right now...
Heimdal @ Nov 15th 2006 2:15PM
I understand strategy guides, because they're books with pictures among their information. Even if I don't have the game I like to flip through them. Not to mention it's a physical object that's potentially at your disposal for other things (drawing the pictures, using as paper-weight, etc.). Those books are generally pretty good quality, and they get their worth in use from all the people I know who get them.
Paying for video tutorials is totally different. I imagine it uses in-game graphics, correct? EA is giving us what has been a free addition to all games in the past... but charging us for it this time. I can find free tutorials for Photoshop or Flash with ease... why is it that a video game is charging for its'? O_o
OniNeko @ Nov 15th 2006 2:44PM
It's funny that this is what it takes for so many people to wake up and smell the coffee... back when they were releasing Madden '02, I said 'wait a minute... they're reselling the old game in a new package with a couple added twists, am I right?' No one that even plays these games has come up with a good reason that they sell their old version to game stores for $4 then pick up the new one for $30 (I think the PS2 versions have gone down to $30 in price. Remember supply and demand?)
That in itself was a reach for more money, but it could only occur every year. They needed some way to keep it rolling in.
Problem is, there are too many morons out there that won't hesitate to buy this stuff, so there will likely never be a large calling to drop this kind of crap. Yes, it is a huge robbery to force consumers to PAY for stuff they used to get for free. No one can even say that the only people being hurt are those that pay! Just the fact that SOME are paying justifies making the content priced... and not packaged with the original. Some of us don't want to be exploited, but that's just too bad. We'll have to be to unlock the full potential of our games on XBLM.
I'm so glad I didn't have a desire to pick up an XBox360. I had considered getting it some other time, but now that I know of this kind of stuff, I never will.
I can't wait until the Wii comes out.
Cat_Vader @ Nov 15th 2006 5:42PM
That's total crap! Now not only do you have to buy the game, you have to pay extra if you can't figure out the mechanics? That like selling a blind man his own cane. Total, total crap. Greed seems to be the modus operandi at EA more and more lately.
gh0st @ Nov 15th 2006 5:57PM
Snicker. Only kids could b!tch about a company putting out something that you don't have to buy. Over-charging for AIDS drugs and flu vaccines is criminal. EA doing a tutorial video? Um...let's just say "less so."
Tutorials are "supposed" to be in games. Hold on, let me get out my Video Game Bible. Let's see...responsive controls, level design, learning curve, collision detection, hmm...nope, my NIV Video Game Bible is missing that book about how games are "supposed" to have tutorials.
I will go to history then. Yah, that Defender tutorial really helped me...er, wait. Ok, so that had a single stick and 3 buttons. More recent history, the Halo tutorial...Yah, hmmm, well...
Did they tell you, "Press X to pass and Y to run"? Then, they told you how to play the game. Creating a tutorial that (supposedly, I am not commenting on the quality of the tutorial) gives some insight into the finer details of football is by no stretch any kind of requirement.
You guys very obviously are utterly clueless on many fronts. One being the cost of software development, particularly game development. Now, EA is no starving wafe, but if these companies do not start to find revenue streams like this or something else, they will not last. Simple economics. Not to mention, common sense.
This hobby was a lot more fun before the post-MTV "gotta give me a $10,000 sweet 16 or you are a neglegent parent" generation came of age.
CyberSkull @ Nov 15th 2006 7:26PM
I can understand paying for new content, say, a YEAR later, stuff that was not (and could not be) included in the original (for example, an expansion pack). But nickel & diming for simple objects that should be (or already are) on the disc is a travesty. SUE THE BASTARDS!
JaFO @ Nov 16th 2006 4:40PM
// ghost :
Perhaps you should try reading a few good books about program-design, because that would explain why your "Video Game Bible" is missing the part of tutorials.
You may want to start with Joel's User-interface design for programmers :
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/fog0000000249.html
The 'classic' games didn't have tutorials or any 'help'-features whatsoever, because they were designed for arcades. Thus anything (like counter-intuitive controls) that forced the player to keep on inserting more coins was good. Plus the average geek was a sucker for punishment.
Perhaps it is too much to ask for a complete in-depth tutorial on how to play football, because that is info even 'real' players don't have access to. That kind of stuff would be worth money even if EA only sold it in video-form (as opposed to as truly interactive 'extra' for the game).
However basic info and strategy as shown in the tutorial-videos on marketplace is so unremarkable that it should be part of the game. Especially if said game is the only football-game in town ...
Oh ... and Halo did feature a tutorial. It didn't use the name, but it was part of the first few levels of the game and every time a new feature was encountered.
Gears of War is an even better example of this "hidden tutorial"-design at work.
Bryan @ Nov 18th 2006 2:53PM
Actually, my coworkers and I are starting an online protest against microtransactions. I'm not saying all microtransactions are bad, some are worth it. But when you are forced to download mappacks, weapons, characters in order to play with your friends online... that's our concern. The other large issue we have is when these "addons" are already on the disc. A quarter of the time you basically pay for a key to unlock them. That is some BS! If people shell out $60 for a game, everything on that disc better be ready to play. People I've talked to believe this will be the demise of gaming as we once knew it. Once I have the domain registered I'll post the URL.
Meanwhile, if any of you are interested in helping this cause, my email is bryancoughlin@gmail.com . Feel free to give me feedback, as my opinion might not refect others.
dave @ Nov 21st 2006 8:16PM
heres an idea. write to the nfl and tell them their game is crap! if enough ppl do it, they will force EA to pull the finger out